 |
| Caterpillar branded
box. |
 |
 |
| Front bucket
carry angle is better than shown but the mechanism is a
little loose. |
 |
| Metal handrails
around the cab are very good. |
 |
| No hoses crossing the
pivot point but there are excellent small warning graphics. |
 |
| Painted rivets. |
 |
| Bucket casting
is good. |
 |
| A good
transport load. |
 |
| Nice tyres and
wheels. |
|
 Comment on this model.
The Caterpillar 966K
wheel loader has an operating weight of around 24 tonnes
and bucket capacities of 2.5 - 9.2m³. It has
a maximum travel speed of around 37 kilometres per hour
Packaging
The model comes in a
Caterpillar-branded box style with windows. It
is enclosed within a one-piece plastic holder that pops
open to release the model.
The review model had no missing
parts or defects other than the roof aerial which was
detached. It was easily re-glued into position.
The box includes a small card which has some
information about the real machine and a nice photo.
Detail
The underside has some detailing with the rear axle
modelled and the transmission to the front axle is
truncated. Nice quality rubber tyres with
a good tread pattern are mounted on wheels with detailed
plastic exterior faces and simple inside faces.
The engine cover has good cast grilles in the sides
and top although they are indentations rather than
holes. As a compromise the arrays are completely
painted rather than just the holes. The rear
grille has silvered lights and the CAT logo. There
is a towing hitch and the pin is visible being modelled
within the casting.
The walkways around the cab have a non-slip texture and the
metal handrails are very good.
The cab is detailed with wipers front and back, and the mirror
and light assemblies are plastic as is the aerial on the roof. The interior
has the controls modelled although the main joystick is
too small. There is a CAT logo on
the seat back.
There are excellent sharp warning graphics below the cab
and at the pivot point but there are no hydraulic hoses
and the front axle drive shaft is not modelled.
The loader arm with the Z-bar linkages is modelled well
with very thin hoses running to the ram jacket, and
decent
detail in the metal parts. The rivets in the
loader arm are quite large and visible although they are touched up with paint which improves
the look.
The material handling bucket has good detailing on the
outside.
Features
The wheels roll well with each pair of tyres fixed to a
common axle. The rear axle is able to oscillate
significantly and the front axle is fixed.
The model steers across the pivot point and the overall
steering angle is very good.
The loader arm lifts the bucket to a realistic height
and can hold most poses although not all. Both the tipping
angle and the carrying angle is slightly shallow.
Although not mentioned as a feature on the box the
bucket is removable by removing the locking pin.
Quality
This is a solid and generally well made model with a high metal content.
The paint finish is generally very good and the graphics are sharp.
Price
It is reasonable value for the quality offered.
Overall
This wheel loader model from Tonkin is well made and the
features are good. The removable bucket is a nice
feature too. It is highly recommended.
Footnotes
The model was announced in 2013 and was available from
February 2014.
|
|
|
|
 |
| Model and
card. |
 |
| Side grille is
formed within the casting but is solid rather than
holes. |
 |
| Detail
underneath. Front drive shaft is not run to the
pivot point. |
 |
| Good bucket
height.
|
 |
| Profile view. |
 |
| Removable
bucket. |
 |
| Loading an
East
Dump Trailer. |
|
